Optical recording technology uses an optical disk which compacts large quantities of data into a small amount of space. To take full advantage of the highly compacted data, higher data transfer rates and faster access times are highly desirable. One way to achieve higher data transfer rates and faster access times is to use multichannel recording. One way to accomplish multichannel recording is to use a high powered laser, such as a gas laser, and divide the beam into several beams and control each beam separately. Such systems are disclosed in articles by C. W. Reno entitled "Optical Disk Recording Techniques for Data Rates Beyond 100 Mbps", SPIE Pro. 421, 156 (1983), and D. C. Kowalski et al entitled "MultiChannel Digital Optical Disk Memory System", Opt. Eng. 22, 464 (1983). The systems disclosed, however, are very complex systems.
An easier way to build a multichannel recording system is to use an array of semiconductor laser diodes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,897,671 which issued Jan. 30, 1990 to Amaresch Mahapatra, Roy W. Miller and Elias Snitzer discloses an integrated optics printhead that includes an array of semiconductor lasers. A problem with fabricating laser diode arrays is that laser diode arrays can only be fabricated with each source separated by a distance of at least 50 to 100 .mu.m. As the distance between the sources is decreased below 50 .mu.m the thermal, electrical and optical crosstalk between sources becomes a serious problem. A greater source-to-source distance requires a collector lens with a wide field of view, and off-axis beams tend to be seriously aberrated. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that it will be highly desirable to have an array of laser diodes wherein each laser source is effectively separated from the next laser source by a distance less than 50 .mu.m and which does not require a collector lens with a wide field of view that aberrates the off-axis beams.